safety rating

A note from the death and dismemberment department. While Trump supporters are screaming at the top of their lungs about the horrors of government regulation and the burden it places on the economy, out in the real world, our rivers and skies are cleaner thanks to environmental rules (which went into effect under left wing proto-communists like Dick Nixon and Ronnie Rayguns). In the world of automobiles, crash test standards have been strengthened considerably over the past 20 years.

To listen to the reactionaries tell it, those regulations have forced the price of new cars up so high that ordinary folks can’t afford to buy them any more. They conveniently forget that real wages for all but corporate CEOs and Wall Street bankers have fallen steadily since about 1975. But those regulations have done something else. They have made today’s cars a whole lot safer to drive. It’s hard to put a price on that.

Recently, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), a joint program of the Australian and New Zealand governments, crash tested two Toyota Corollas — one from 1998 and another from 2015. The testing was conducted last week as part of the United Nations’ Global Road Safety Week. The 1998 car was built in Australia, which did not require new cars to have air bags at that time.

Both cars were subjected to a 40 mile per hour partial overlap frontal collision test. When it was over, there was almost nothing left of the car manufactured in 1998. ANCAP gave it a safety rating of zero stars. The actual tally was 0.40 points out of a possible 16. Sensors onboard indicated any occupant would have suffered severe head, leg and chest injuries. The 2015 car fared a whole lot better. It got a 5 star crash rating and was awarded 13 out of 16 points. Any occupant would likely have walked away with minor injuries.

The lesson from the ANCAP test is not so much that newer cars are safer. It is that many of the most vulnerable drivers — teenagers and the elderly — are driving around in cheap cars that may crumple up around them in a collision. ANCAP CEO James Goodwin says. “It is unfortunate we tend to see our most at-risk drivers – the young and inexperienced, as well as the elderly and more frail – in the most at-risk vehicles, and we hope this test promotes a conversation to encourage all motorists to consider the safety of their car.”

The message? If you insist on texting and driving, make sure you do it in the newest car you can afford. And if you are commuting back and forth to work in a beater built in the 90’s, you better pray Trump and his minions haven’t cancelled your health insurance. Buckle your seatbelt before watching this video and remember, in Austrialia and New Zealand, the steering wheel is on the right!

The 2014 Toyota Prius safety rating lost a star last month when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ran the car through a new set of crash tests. Previous models of America’s best-selling hybrid had a five-star safety rating, but the new tests reduce the rating of the 2014 model to just 4 four stars.

NHTSA updated its rating system in 2011 and stated at the time that previously tested vehicles might receive lower ratings with no changes to the vehicles themselves. The 2014 Toyota Prius safety rating lost a star because of the frontal barrier test. The test is conducted with a crash test dummy the size of an average adult male in the driver’s seat and an average adult female in the passenger seat. The car is driven into a fixed barrier at 35 mph.

The difference between the 2013 rating and the 2014 rating lies in the extent of injuries to the driver’s side crash test dummy (injuries to head, neck, chest, and legs measured). The passenger side dummy had no significant difference in injuries between the two ratings.

The side barrier crash test and side pole crash tests still receive five-star ratings. The Prius also retains its four-star rating in the rollover test.

The Toyota Prius was last redesigned in 2010. According to Toyota environmental communication manager Jana Hartline:

There have been no changes in the test standards and no changes in the car, other than minor reinforcement for small overlap crash test which we believe did not compromise integrity. We are not sure why it rated a 4 this time. We are looking at the test results and we are confident the new generation will move back to 5 stars.

The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is shaping up to be one of the most impressive new car launches of the brand’s history, with 140+ MPG fuel economy and an advanced, all-wheel drive system collaborating to earn the room crossover the RJC’s Technology of the Year award. Mitsubishi didn’t stop at class-leading technology, though- the brand has responded to battery safety concerns by building this thing like a tank, and Mitsubishi’s Outlander is following up its IIHS Top Safety Pick+ performance by scoring the maximum 5 Star rating in Europe’s NCAP battery of crash tests.

Not bad, guys. Not bad at all!

You can read more about the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV’s European crash test scores in the company’s official press release, below.

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced that the company’s Outlander PHEV mid-size crossover/SUV featuring MMC’s own Plug-in Hybrid EV System has been awarded a maximum 5-star rating in the 2013 Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), an overall safety rating system for new models launched in Europe*1. Euro NCAP puts new cars through some of the world’s toughest safety tests, including an array of crash tests.

String of Awards Redeems “@earth TECHNOLOGY”

This recognition is the latest in a string of awards that confirms MMC’s @earth TECHNOLOGY, the technologies that embody MMC’s Drive@earth pillars of environmental responsibility, driving pleasure, and toughness and safety – all of which are combined in the Outlander PHEV, the pinnacle of @earthTECHNOLOGY.

The Outlander PHEV was awarded the “Car of the Year Japan* 2013-2014’s Innovation Award” for its environmental performance and motive performance.

In addition, the Outlander PHEV’s Plug-in Hybrid EV System was recognized for its environmental performance and driving dynamics by the Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference of Japan*3 (RJC), which in November named the plug-in hybrid EV system the “RJC Technology of the Year 2014.”

About the Outlander PHEV:

The world’s first plug-in hybrid crossover/SUV, the Outlander PHEV is an “electric car that changes itself” and represents a fusion of the EV technologies developed by MMC for models such as the i-MiEV, 4WD technologies honed in the Lancer Evolution, and SUV know-how gained from the Pajero (Montero or Shogun in some countries).

The Outlander PHEV is fitted with a combination of several advanced safety features including e-Assist*4 advanced safety technologies, Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE*5) high-rigidity impact safety body and SRS air bags and harmonizes high levels of performance in environment, safety and premium quality.

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The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.